There are probably many questions you have if you are looking into Martial Arts schools for the first time for you or your child. Many perspective new students are only looking at the location and cost, never really considering the quality and if it could really benefit you or even damage you or your child. Martial Arts Schools range in quality from poor to excellent and generally you get what you pay for like everything else. Some areas that you want to inquire into before making the decision are the following?
1. How much is the cost?
Choosing a Martial Arts school is like buying any other product or service. It is better to spend a little bit more money and be completely satisfied with the product or service than regret later on that you decided to go cheap and you are dissatisfied. The tuition will be based on a number of factors the school itself has to take into account, including the school rent, quality of Instructors they have to pay, and facility amenities. The current National average for Martial Arts school tuition is typically around $139 a month, so you should keep this in mind when choosing a school.
2. The location
Many perspective new students are only looking for the closest school to them for the convenience, never considering the quality of the school. It is better to go a little bit out of your way for the best quality school than to find the closest to you and the quality is very poor.
3. The Style
In all honestly, for a perspective new student, the style is not as important as finding a good quality Instructor. You may have the best style in the world but a poor Instructor that can not teach it very well-that is not going to be beneficial for you. That being said, we all have two arms and two legs, there are only so many ways to kick and punch. The biggest factor you should choose when looking at styles should be "does the curriculum meet what I would like for me (or my child) to get from Martial Arts. If you are looking for practical self defense-then the school should teach that, if you are looking for life skills to improve your life, then the school should teach that, and so forth. There are definately different schools for different people, it is always best to look at a few before making your decision to join any school. Once you do join, you should go in knowing that it is going to take time and committment to achieve your goals.
4. The Instructors
This should be one of the biggest single factors you look at when choosing a Martial Arts school. The Instructors make the school. There are many factors that make a great Instructor. Those things include the amount of years of experience in the Martial Art and the amount of years actually teaching. They include the quality of instruction the instructor him/her received themselves. Is the instructor energenetic and motivating, Do they walk the walk, not just talk the talk? (i.e. Do they advertise to get you in great shape and they are out of shape and overweight?) Are they good with children?
As most Martial Arts began in Asia, you should try to find the connection betwen the Instructor and the country of origin. If the Martial Art is from Japan, does the Instructor speak any Japanese, do the understand the customs and etiquette of that country, do they travel or train there to maintain the traditions and history of that Martial Art? Was there certification coming from an organization based in that country? Many people can purchase certification online, with little or no background in Martial Arts-the certification must come from a respected and authentic source.
One thing to be weary of these days. There are many martial arts schools with great looking websites that do nothing but try to lure you in, but say absolutely nothing about who the Instructors are or what their qualifications are. If they don't even say who the Instructors are on their website-that is a signal that there is something not quite right!
5. The facility
The school facility should look professional, neat, and safe. You can't expect your children to learn discipline and organization in a facility that just has stuff lying around everywhere. The school should be neat and organized. Also, the mats should be sufficient to protect against falls and also be mopped down with bleach solution often to prevent germs from spreading. The school should also have a good range of equipment for different types of drills and experience within the school.
6. Agreement vs No Agreement
When money is involved, many people are weary of signing an agreement for any length of time and that is understandable. However there are a couple of things that must be understood upfront in regards to this. The first is that the real benefits of Martial Arts take time to achieve, they don't happen overnight. Taking Martial Arts for a couple of months and quitting is a waste of time for you and the Instructor. You have to expect the first 6 months will be just laying down a good foundation (learning how you learn, what you need from martial arts-you learning the customs, etiquette, & what is expected from you) that then the next 6 months will be when you begin to see real results. The next thing you should know is all professional business's offer some type of agreement of contract. From your mortgage complany, your car loan, your cell phone, even any regular gym membership. All these business's budget based on a projected amount of income. If they can not expect what is coming in, they can not run a professional business and could be closed tomorrow. For this reason, you should look at several schools to make sure the one you are committing to is the right one for you. Also it is important that do more than just one or two classes before making a longer term agreement, so that you really know what you are getting into. For this reason, Success Martial Arts Introductory Programs range for two weeks (6 classes) to 6 weeks-so that you know what you are getting into.